Buckle for strap bracelets



0. H. RABE V BUCKLE FOR STRAP BRACELETS Filed Dec. '7, 1923 i 4 m @n 1L3 JNVENZ'EE @W R 1%, %M'

Patented May 27, 1924.

T N T OF F [C E.

osCAR HENRY BABE, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AssIGNon T GENERAL MANU- FACTURING AND EXroJaTING COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE IsLAND, A Con PORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

BUCKLE FOR STRAP BRACELETS.

Application filed December 7, 1923. Serial No. 679,128.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR HENRY BABE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buckles for Strap Bracelets, of which the following is a specification.

In the usual construction of buckles of strap bracelets for wrist watches, in which the buckle has a tongue, the tongue is movable or pivotally secured at one end to a part of the buckle. This necessitates moving the buckle tongue in and out of the strap and bending the strap to unfasten or fasten the strap to the buckle. Buckles of this kind for this purpose are extremely small and diflicult to handle, particularly when the strap is on the wrist of the user.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of a buckle for strap bracelets, such as is used for wrist-watches, whereby the strap has an approximately straight movement through the buckle, the buckle is fastened to the strap without bending the strap, the heretofore movable tongue of the buckle is fixed to a part of the buckle and the end of the fixed tongue of the buckle is locked to a part of the buckle, when the buckle is closed, in fastening the buckle to the strap.

A further object of my invention is to produce such a buckle with a construction,

whereby the harder the strap is pulledagainst the buckle, when closed, the more positive the strap is held in place by the buckle.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a buckle for a strap bracelet used for securing a wrist-watch to the wrist of the wearer, said buckle having details of construction, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter and claimed.

Figure 1 is a face view of a strap bracelet for wrist-watches, said strap bracelet being provided with my improved buckle.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional view through the strap bracelet and buckle, taken on line 2, 2 of Figure 1 and showing the buckle in its open position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view similar to Figure 2 and showing the buckle in its closed position, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional View through the buckle, taken on line 4, 4 of Figure 1 with the buckle in its closed position.

In the drawing 5 indicates the strap member which is secured to the buckle, 6 the movable strap member having the usual eyelet holes 7, 7 and 8 the buckle comprising a body member 9 and a tongue member 10.

The strap members 5 and 6 may be of leather, silk ribbon or flexible metal construction. The buckle end 11 of the strap 5, when of metal may be secured to the buckle by solder and the eyelet holes 7, 7 in the strap member-6 may be formed by eyelets. as shown, or, they may be simply holes through the strap member.

The body member 9 of the buckle 8 has a flat back12, a closed end 13, with-means for securing this end 13 to the buckle end 11 of the strap member 5, raised sides 14, 14

and a central raised boss 15 on the fiat back 12. The boss 15 is constructed to have a shallow pocket 16 and an inwardly turned annular overhanging lip 17 the whole forming a pocket with a reduced central opening formed by the annular lip 17, as shown in Figures 2 and'4.

The tongue member 10 is in the form of a frame with outstanding sides 18, 18 which extend beyond the raised sides 14, 14 of the body member 9. The sides 18, 18 areconnected at the pivot end by a tubular pivot member 19 which is pivotally secured to the raised sides 14, 14 of the body member 9 by a pintle 20 which extends through the tubular pivot member 19 and is secured to the raised sides 14, 14 of the body member 9 by upsetting the ends of the pintle. The swinging ends of the sides 18, 18 are connected by a bar 21. Secured centrally at one end to the bar 21 is a curved spring tongue 22 having on its free end an e11 la-rged head 23 in a position to pass through an eyelet hole 7, in the strap 6 and snap by the annular lip 17 and into the pocket 16 in the boss 15, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The strap members 5 and 6 maybe of any usual construction with the usual slide and means on the outer ends of the strap members for detachably securing the straps to a wrist-watch.

When in use the buckle 8 is opened, as shown in Figure 2 by pressing down on the strap 6 close to the bar 21 and pulling up on the outstanding sides 18, 18 of the tongue member 10, thereby releasing the head 23 on the spring tongue 22 from the boss 15 and releasing the curved spring tongue 22 from the adjustable strap 6. This strap 6 may now be movedlengthwise straight through the buckle to adjust for difi'erent size Wrists. When the required adjustment is obtained with an eyelet hole 7 over the boss 15, the buckle is closed and locked by pressing the tongue member 10 against the body memher 9. lhe head 23 and spring tongue 22 has now passed through the eyelet hole and the head 23 has snapped by the lip 17 and into the pocket 16, as shown in Figure 3.

By this construction the tongue member of the buckle is firmly and positively secured or locked to the body member of the buckle, when the buckle is closed and any usual increase in force on the straps to pull the straps apart, will tend to more firmly secure the straps and hold the buckle in its closed position.

Having thus described my invention 1 claim as new 1. A buckle for strap bracelets comprising a body member, a spring tongue member pivotally secured to the body member, a fixed strap on the body member, a movable strap with tongue holes and extending-over the body member and through the spring tongue member, a snap member on the body member, a curved spring tongue on the tongue member adapted to pass through a tongue hole in the movable strap and snap into the snap member on the body member, for the purpose as described.

A buckle for strap bracelets comprising a flat body member having a snap member, a tongue member having a strap opening and pivotally secured to the body member, a curved spring tongue fixed at one end to the tongue member, a strap secured to the body member, a movable strap having holes and extending over the body member and through the strap opening in the tongue member, said curved spring tongue having an enlarged end adapted to pass through ameans"? hole in the movable strap and snap into the snap member on the body member, for the purpose as described.

3. A buckle for strap bracelets comprising a body member having a flat back, raised sides and a snap member on the flat back, a

tongue member having a strap opening and pivotally secured to th raised sides of the body member, a curved spring tongue fixed at one end to the tongue member, and having an enlarged end adapted to snap into the snap member on the body member, a strap secured to the body member, a movable strap having holes and extending over the body member and through the strap opening in th tongue member, for the purpose as described.

i. A. buckle for strap bracelets compris ing a body member having a flat back and raised sides, a snap member on the flat back of the body member and consisting of means forming a pocket having a contracted opening, a tongue member having a strap opening and pivotally secured to the raised sides of the body member, a curved spring tongue fixed at one end to the tongue member and having an enlarged end adapted to snap into the snap member on the body member and means for securing a strap to the body member, for the purpose as described.

5. A buckle for strap bracelets comprising a body member having a flat back and raised sides, a snap member on the fiat back of the body member consisting of a boss having a shallow pocket and a reduced opening formed by an internal annular lip, a tongue member having a strap opening and sides which overhang the raised sides of the body member, means for pivotally securing the tongue member to the raised sides of ti e body member, a spring tongue fixed at one end to the tongue member and having an enlarged head adapted to snap by the annular lip and into the pocket of the snap mem her, for the purpose as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

OSCAR HENRY RA BE. 

